Monsoon 68 per cent below normal this week

In the corresponding period last year,three sub-divisions witnessed normal rainfall while 14 sub-divisions received excess. There were no sub-divisions without rain,although 20 recorded scanty or deficient rainfall.

The IMD said four sub-divisions — Kerala,Lakshadweep,Andaman and Nicobar,and Nagaland-Manipur — saw rain at “most places” on Thursday,another four — coastal Karnataka,Konkan-Goa,Saurashtra-Kutch,and Orissa — witnessed rains in “many places”. Ten sub-divisions did not witness any rain,while the remaining received “isolated” showers or rains at “few places” until 2:30 pm on Thursday.

The IMD also announced that the northern limit of the monsoon today passed through a boundary comprising Bhuj,Vadodara,Nashik,Sholapur,Hyderabad,Kalingapatnam,Paradip,Balasore,Bankura and Gangtok cities. The department predicted further movement of the monsoon due to the likelihood of a low-pressure area forming over northwest Bay of Bengal in the next 24 hours.

“Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon over remaining parts of Karnataka,some more parts of Maharashtra,Andhra Pradesh,Orissa,remaining parts of West Bengal and Sikkim and some parts of Bihar,Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh during the next three to four days,” IMD said in a release on Thursday.

It also predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over the Saurashtra-Kutch and Diu sub-divisions over the next 24 hours,while forecasting isolated heavy rains over Assam-Meghalaya and Andaman and Nicobar Islands over the next 48 hours.

More somberly,the IMD also warned that heat wave conditions were likely to remain over western Uttar Pradesh,Madhya Pradesh,Delhi,Haryana,Uttarakhand and northern Rajasthan for at least two days.